Sys Technology Freestyle M7500

Sys Technology Freestyle M7500

Don't have thousands of dollars to spend on an entertainment notebook decked out with a 17-inch wide screen, TV tuner, and subwoofer? If you can live with its rough edges, the Sys Technology Freestyle M7500 makes a reasonable substitute. This 6.8-pound (sans power adapter) notebook packs a bright 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD, decent stereo speakers, a handheld remote control, and CyberLink's PowerCinema entertainment center software package--all for $1395.

The best knockoff of the Windows XP Media Center 2005 operating system I've seen yet, PowerCinema closely resembles the real thing with its blue-hued main menu. But because it's a quick-boot Linux-based application, it lets notebooks operate as movie, music, video, and slide-show players without sucking up as much battery power as Windows does.

Without turning on the notebook, you can launch PowerCinema from the M7500's keyboard or remote control. I had no trouble moving between and controlling entertainment applications. You don't even have to go through the PowerCinema main menu for some activities; just press the quick-launch button for the appropriate application in the upper right keyboard; these double as PowerCinema hot buttons for when you want to watch a movie, listen to MP3 files, or manage digital photos. Audio CDs require a separate player that you must launch from the PowerCinema menu, unfortunately.

Nicely designed overall, the M7500 is the first notebook I've seen with a front USB 2.0 port--an excellent feature. The notebook's microphone and headphone ports conveniently appear on the front of the case, too, next to separate LED buttons for controlling and monitoring the status of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless communications. Two other USB ports and a four-in-one card reader sit on the right side of the case, while a DVD burner occupies the left.

I liked the keyboard's feel and layout, which includes a roomy touchpad and a four-way scroll button.